#  Michael Matsuda 

Senior Fellow, ISCL

 

 

 



   ![Mike Matsuda headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum12921/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-09/AEB882CA-B3A7-405E-94B4-31A65BB4BCDB%20%281%29.jpeg?itok=ECL0LXmG) 

 



 





 

Michael Matsuda is a nationally recognized 21st-century education leader known for innovation, entrepreneurship, and compassion. As former Superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), Matsuda spearheaded the development of the Career Preparedness Systems Framework (CPSF), a transformational shift that moved institutional accountability away from standard "teaching to the test" toward equipping students with essential durable skills—the "5 Cs" (Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Compassion). Under his leadership, AUHSD operationalized this vision by founding the Anaheim Educational Innovation Collaborative and launching the nationally recognized Anaheim Innovative Mentoring Experience (AIME) program, connecting high school students with real-world mentoring, work-based learning, and internships supported by more than 130 business and nonprofit partners.

Currently, Matsuda serves as Executive in Residence and Special Advisor to the Dean at the Loyola Marymount University School of Education, where he advances initiatives at the intersection of leadership, equity, and systemic innovation. Building on his work in Anaheim, he actively consults and collaborates with multiple California school districts to lead secondary school redesign efforts aligned with community school frameworks, student voice, and 21st-century workforce demands.

Matsuda is also the co-author of two influential books on educational transformation: *Educating for Purposeful Life* (co-authored with David Brazer) and *The Future of Public Education: One District’s Journey to Transform Schools and Systems* (co-authored with Barnett Berry and Michael Fullan).

Matsuda has earned numerous honors, including *Education Week*’s “Leaders to Learn From,” Cal State Fullerton’s Visionary Education Leadership Award, UC Irvine’s Community Partner of the Year, the ConnectEd CTE Pathway Trailblazer Award, The CABE (California Association of Bilingual Educators) Administrator of the Year Award, and an honorary Doctor of the University from Chapman University. He was also named California Council for the Social Studies Administrator of the Year for advancing civic engagement and student voice.



 

 

 





 

 

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